Car-coupling



I 3 Sheets-8heet 1.

J. G. LOOK. GAR COUPLING.

(No Model.)

No. 563,389. Patented July 7, 1896.

(No Model.) a 8heets-Sheet 2.

J-.- O. LOO-K.

UAR COUPLING.

No. 563,389; Patented July 7, 1896.

(NoMod'eL) I a Sheets-8heet a. J. C. LOOK.

7 CAR COUPLING. No. 563,389. Patented July 7, 1896.

Ill

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. LOOK, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 563,389, dated July 7,1896. 7

Application filed December 17, 1895. Serial No. 572,415. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. LOOK, a citizen of the United States,residing in San J os, county of Santa Clara, State of California, haveinvented an Improvement in Car-Couplings; and I hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same. 7

My invention relates to all classes of couplings having a locking deviceor pin adapted to be raised to uncouple by means of a lever orrock-shaft extending to the side of the car.

My invention consists of a lever mounted on the car, with its innerextremity substantially over or under the locking device of thecoupling, to which is attached a rod or device connecting with thelocking device, said rod or device being flexibly connected to both thelever and the locking device, and so arranged, as by being slidable inan eye in the device or in an eye in the lever on the car or at anyconvenient place, as to allow and accommodate itself to all themovements of the coupling or locking device.

The object of my invention is to provide such a means or device forconnecting the lever on the car to the locking device of the coupling aswill maintain in itself a line from the locking device to the said leveron the car, said line to be substantially vertical.

Heretofore the connection between the said parts has usually been achain, or looselypivoted links, or links and clevises, suspendinglydisposed, consisting of a great number of parts, which would be liableto become easily disarranged and broken, and also quite expensive toapply and maintain. The connection has been thought to demand a greatnumber of loose parts, as most couplings have considerable lateral andlongitudinal play, and the locking devices have also other separatemovements. An upright rod has also been suggested, connected to thelocking device and held perpendicular, when the looking device is in itsseat, by its manner of connection to the said locking device, or byguides in the draw-head, orin such other manner that the lever end ofthe said rod moves foward and rearward with the coupin Fig. 2.

ling, thus necessitating a long lever-arm that projects well forward,and by reason of its projection is liable to become distorted or brokenby coming in contact with levers on other cars or by other objects; butmy improvement provides a rod or parts so arranged that they willmaintain theirposition in a line from the locking device to the lever onthe car without the aid of being held in suspension by the lever above,or will act in a rigid manner from below when operated, and that isconnected to the locking device and to the lever in such a flexiblemanner as to adapt and permit the locking-device end to follow theforward movement of the coupling, when the locking device is in itsseat, while the lever end remains rearwardly, thus permitting the use ofa short lever-arm.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanationof my invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the coupling, showingthe lever and connecting device for uncoupling. Fig. 2 is a side viewshowing the coupling unlocked. Fig. 3 is a side View showing a differentkind of connection. Fig. 4 is a top view of the device shown Fig. 5 is atop view of the device shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a front view of thedevice shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is an extended application of Fig. 3, andFig. Sis an extended application of Fig. 2, to suit various kinds ofpins. Fig. 9 is a view of the device as applied to a coupling having alock rotated within by a crank-rod extending through the side of thedraw-head. Fig. 10 is a View of the device as it'would be applied frombelow. Fig. 11 is a front cross-section of a coupling having a lookinside lifted by a rod through the top.

Referring to Fig. 1, A represents generally a form of coupling, of whichE is the lockingpin. C is the lever. D is the connecting device, whichin this figure is made in one piece, ending in jaws cl at the lower end,which pass over and are suitably fastened to the lockingpin at b by apin or bolt 6, which maybe better seen by reference to Fig. 6. Abovethis fastening is an elongated eye d, through which the lever on the caris made to freely pass, the top view of which may be seen by referenceto Fig. 4. Now, it will be seen that by the use of this elongated eyethe pin and connection can move up and down without interfering with thelever on the car, as seen in dotted lines, Fig. 2, or the distancebetween the lever on the car and the lockingpin may be more or may beless as the coupling moves forward and rearward, as may be seen indotted lines in Fig. 3, it being a different kind of connectionexplained presently. In Fig. 3 a different form of connection is usedfrom that in Fig. 2. In this figure the rod D is single and passes upthrough an eye 0 in the lever C, (see Figs. 5 and 6,) above which therod has lugs d d to serve as a stop whereby to lift the device.

The lateral movement of the coupling may be taken up by the bent portion0 of the lever 0 (see Fig. 4) or the loose fitting of the rod D on thepin-head b and in the enlarged eye 0 in the lever G, as shown in Figs. 5and 6.

The manner of connecting the rod D in Fig. 1 is to slide it over thebent portion a of the lever G, and then fasten it to the locking device,(see also Fig. 4,) and the manner of connecting the rod in Fig. 3 is toturn the lugs half-way and pass them up through the elongated eye in thelever on the car, then turn back and fasten to the lockin g device. (Seealso Fig. 5.)

In some kind of couplings the pin-head is across the draw-head from thatshown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. This is shown in Fig. 7, which would be afront view of Fig. 3. Then it becomes necessary to put on an additionaltop to the pin or other device, which is shown at c. This false head mayfit close, or just enough to let it turn on the bolt 1), and then therod D bolted loosely in this false head at (P, above which the rod D maybe of any pattern. Should this false head be made to turn on the bolt atb, the bolt d should then be at right angles to it, and the device willthen maintain itself in the upright position.

In Fig. 9 the lock is on a crank-shaft h, which passes into thedraw-head, and the rod D is fastened to the crank h and made to slide011 the crank-pin 7L2 and also in the lever C at c, as the slidingmovement may be located at any convenient place.

Fig. 10 has a similar crank-shaft to Fig. 9, with the rod D extendingbelow, and is connected to the lever on the car below. In this figurethe rod D is pushed up, the elongated eye (1 being for the same purposeas in Fig. 7 that of allowing the requisite play.

In Fig. 11 the lock is in the draw-head and a rod Z extends through thetop to which the rod D is attached, the aperture Z serving as a guide tokeep the rodZ in position. The

rod D in this case, as in others, may be of any pattern.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a car-coupling having a locking device, a lever on the car tooperate the locking device, and a connection between the locking deviceand the lever, consisting of a substantially vertically-disposed rod,flexibly attached to the lever on the car by means of an enlarged eye inone part in which the other part is freely fitted, and flexibly attachedto the locking device by means of a hinge, with the hinge-rod running ina direction transverse to the coupling, and the said rod slidingperpendicularly at one or both ends to permit the movements of thecoupling.

2. In a car-coupling having a locking device, a lever on the car tooperate the looking device, and a connection between the locking deviceand the lever consisting of a substantially vertically-disposed rod ordevice flexibly attached to the lever on the car by means of an enlargedeye in one part in which the other part is freely and slidingly fittedand flexibly attached to the locking device by means of a hinge whichconsists of two projections of the said rod or device passing over theconnection of the locking device with suitable eyes in the said partsfor a hinge-bolt, said hinge being arranged and adapted to permit atilting movement of the said rod longitudinally to the coupling, whenthe locking device is in its seat. I

8. In a car-coupling having a locking device, a lever on the car tooperate the looking device, and a connection between the locking deviceand the lever, consisting of a substantially vertically-disposed rod, orclevice, flexibly attached to the lever on the car by means of anenlarged eye formed in the rod or device, opening in the direction ofthe side of the ear, with abent portion of the said lever passingthrough the said eye, and flexibly attached to the locking device bymeans of a hinge, said hinge being arranged and adapted to permit atilting movement of the said rod longitudinally to the coupling when thelocking device is in its seat.

4. In a car-coupling having a locking device, a lever on the car tooperate the looking device, and a connection between the locking deviceand the lever, consisting of a substantially vertically-disposed rod,flexibly attached to the lever on the car by means of an enlarged andelongated eye in the said rod opening in the direction of the side ofthe car, with a bent arm of the said lever passing through the said eye,and flexibly attached to the locking device by means of a hinge, withthe hinge-rod running in the direction toward the side of the car.

5. In a car-coupling having a locking device, a lever on the car tooperate the looking device, and a connection between the locking deviceand the lever, consisting of a substantially vertically-disposed rodflexibly attached to the lever on the car, and flexibly attached to thelocking device by means of two hinges, one at right angles to the other,said rod sliding at a convenient place, all to permit the movements ofthe coupling.

6. In a car-coupling having a locking deat right angles to the other,all to permit the vice, a lever on the car to operate the lockmovementsof the coupling. IO ing device, and a connection between the In Witnesswhereof I have hereunto set my locking device and the lever, consistingof a hand.

5 substantially vertically-disposed rod made JOHN C. LOOK. slidable andflexible at its union with the le- Witnesses: ver on the car andflexibly attached to the O. M. WOOSTER,

locking device by means of two hinges, one M. W. PUTNAM.

